--- title: Bernie Sanders Meets With Obama at the White House description: He did not ask the President to endorse him. canonical: https://time.com/4196209/bernie-sanders-barack-obama-white-house-meeting-endorsement/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-27T18:59:34.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:00:32.211Z article:section: Politics og:title: Bernie Sanders Meets With Obama at the White House og:description: He did not ask the President to endorse him. og:url: https://time.com/4196209/bernie-sanders-barack-obama-white-house-meeting-endorsement/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Bernie Sanders Meets With Obama at the White House twitter:description: He did not ask the President to endorse him. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Bernie Sanders Did Not Ask Obama to Endorse Him at the White House > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=a62848a1-6f78-448b-819b-86e8c45c5900&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 85,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 37.0% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=a62848a1-6f78-448b-819b-86e8c45c5900&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=a62848a1-6f78-448b-819b-86e8c45c5900&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jan 27, 2016 6:59 PM UTC by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jan 27, 2016 6:59 PM UTC  Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders walks with his wife to speak to reporters after a meeting with President Obama at the White House in Washington, D.C., Jan. 27, 2016. Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders said he met with President Obama at the White House on Wednesday for a discussion to “get himself updated” on current events, but the Vermont senator told reporters that he did not use the meeting as an opportunity to get an endorsement. “Of course not,” Sanders said, when asked if he had sought the President’s support during their meeting. “I think \[the President\] and the vice-President have tried to be fair and even-handed in the process and I expect they will continue to be that way.” Sanders said he and the President discussed a range of issues during their private sit down in the Oval Office and talked “a little bit of politics” ahead of the primary voting season. The Vermont senator also said he spoke with Obama about the war on ISIS, the approach to which he called a major difference between himself and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Sanders stressed that he hoped to emulated President Obama’s ability to promote high turnout in the upcoming Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. “We are right now, as everybody knows, in a very tough campaign in Iowa and going on to New Hampshire,” Sanders said. “I think what the Iowa campaign ends up being about is one word and that is turnout.” “I’m not saying we can do what Barack Obama did in 2008, I wish we could but I don’t think we can. If there is a large turnout I think we win,” Sanders said. If not? “I think we’re going to be struggling,” the senator admitted, but said he still would continue to fight on in New Hampshire and elsewhere even if his showing in Iowa is poor. Sanders added that he believes his campaign will do “a lot lot better” in South Carolina and Nevada, two states where Hillary Clinton appears to have an advantage, than many are currently predicting. At the White House press briefing on Wednesday, Press Secretary Josh Earnest reiterated that the President isn’t quite ready to endorse a candidate. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4196209/bernie-sanders-barack-obama-white-house-meeting-endorsement/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4196209/bernie-sanders-barack-obama-white-house-meeting-endorsement/"},"headline":"Bernie Sanders Did Not Ask Obama to Endorse Him at the White House","datePublished":"2016-01-27T18:59:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:00:32.211Z","description":"He praised the President and Vice President for trying to be \"even handed\"","url":"https://time.com/4196209/bernie-sanders-barack-obama-white-house-meeting-endorsement/","keywords":["White House","Barack Obama"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/white-house/","name":"White House"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4196209/bernie-sanders-barack-obama-white-house-meeting-endorsement/","name":"Bernie Sanders Did Not Ask Obama to Endorse Him at the White House"}}]}] ```